An exploration of the notion of followership in elite coach - athlete relationships
Abstract
The sociological analysis of the coaching process has been identified as a largely
under-developed and under-researched area. Recent work has subsequently called for
the notion of followership, as well as leadership, to be investigated. [n response, the
aim of this study was to consider the concept of followership in elite coach-athlete
relationships within the game of rugby union. The significance of such an
investigation lies in generating greater understanding of coach-athlete relationships,
particularly in terms of how and why athletes buy into coaches' directions and
agendas. Detailed research questions included 'What does followership look like in
practice?' 'How do coaches promote followership within the coaching environment?'
and 'How do coaches know whether followership has been achieved?' A
constructivist methodological approach was adopted within the rather broad paradigm
of interpretivism: more specihcally, open-ended semi-structured interviews were
conducted with four professional rugby union coaches. A grounded theory type
approach was used to analyse the data, with the information gained from the
interviews being expressed in narrative form. In so doing, an attempt has been made
to move beyond the interview transcripts into interpretations of what the coaches
actually said. Results revealed that despite not having given any real consideration to
the notion of followership prior to the interviews, considering it to be a consequence
of effective leadership, on reflection, all of the coaches acknowledged its importance
in coach-athlete relationships. Although the coaches saw themselves as leaders, they
emphasised the need for a group discourse even if they positioned themselves as 'first
among equals' within it. The establishment of effective relationships between
coaches and athletes and the social interaction involved in building such relationships
was considered essential by all coaches. The findings are analysed in terms of both
coaching and emerging'followership' literature.
Description
MSc Coaching Science
Collections
- Masters Degrees (Sport) [168]
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